Top Congo opposition figure goes to France

BUJUMBURA — An opposition figure wanted in the Democratic Republic of Congo on treason charges has left neighboring Burundi, where he had taken refuge, and has gone to France, his lawyer said Sunday. Roger Lumbala, a Congolese member of parliament and former rebel, arrived at the South African Embassy in Bujumbura in early September, seeking asylum. The government accuses him of helping Rwanda support a rebellion in eastern Congo that has deepened political fissures in the capital Kinshasa, where the government and opposition accuse each other of fanning the flames of a distant war. — Reuters